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Results tagged ‘ C.J. Wilson ’

That still remains to be seen. But on Wednesday afternoon — after the Red Sox acquired Andrew Bailey from the Athletics in exchange for three young players — it became more possible than ever.

With the Red Sox, a team with money to spend, filling a huge need in the back end of its bullpen by acquiring the young Bailey, the market for Madson has reached a new low. It’s now pretty clear that the 31-year-old right-hander won’t get anything close to what the Phillies reportedly offered him before turning their attention to Jonathan Papelbon (a four-year, $44 million contract).

But just how much of a pay cut he takes is the big question.

It’d have to be a pretty sizeable one for the Angels to be a fit, now that the team has committed more than $330 million to Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. But it’s interesting to note that Wilson turned down a larger contract from the Marlins in order to sign with the Angels and return to Orange County, Calif. — where Madson was also born.

Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said during the Winter Meetings that his mission was to “complement [closer] Jordan Walden, not replace Jordan Walden.” In tune with that, he signed veteran right-hander LaTroy Hawkins to potentially help lefty Scott Downs in a setup role. But getting Madson would be a far bigger step towards improving a bullpen that was tied for first in the American League in blown saves last season.

So far, it appears the Rays and Reds are the two main teams that still need a closer. But the Reds and Francisco Cordero reportedly want a reunion, and the Rays don’t have the financial wherewithal to allocate a lot of money to the ninth inning.

The Angels inked Jerome Williams to a one-year, $820,000 contract on Monday. Williams, who was arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason, also receives an extra $120,000 in incentives based on starts and appearances.

The Angels signed the journeyman Williams to a Minor League contract last June. Then, after having his contract purchased from Triple-A Salt Lake in mid-August, he went on to go 4-0 with a 3.68 ERA while making 10 appearances (six starts) in the Majors.

With C.J. Wilson signed to a five-year deal last week, Williams is deemed the early favorite for the fifth spot of the Angels’ rotation in 2012.

The 30-year-old right-hander is 27-29 with a 4.20 ERA while suiting up for four teams in six seasons in the Majors. Williams was out of the big leagues for a three-year stretch after 2007, but revitalized his career while playing in Taiwan in 2010.

Industry sources have told Rangers MLB.com reporter T.R. Sullivan that C.J. Wilson has agreed on a five-year, $77.5 million contract with the Angels, joining Albert Pujols in Anaheim and providing a serious threat to the division-rival Rangers.

The Angels are closing in on a deal for veteran right-hander LaTroy Hawkins, a source familiar with the negotiations told MLB.com on Wednesday night. The contract, which is still not finalized, is expected to be for one year, perhaps in the neighborhood of $3 million, and should be announced either Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

Hawkins would provide the Angels with the veteran right-hander for the back end of the bullpen which they sought. General manager Jerry Dipoto has said he wanted someone with experience closing games, but not somebody who would necessarily replace young closer Jordan Walden.

Hawkins, 38, spent his last two seasons with Milwaukee. He was limited to just 18 appearances in 2010 because of shoulder surgery, then bounced back in 2011, posting a 2.42 ERA and a 1.241 WHIP in 52 games (48 1/3 innings).

For his 17-year career, Hawkins has a 4.48 ERA and 87 saves.

As of 10 p.m. CT on Wednesday, the Angels were still competing against the Marlins in hopes of signing C.J. Wilson, who arrived at the Dallas Anatole where the Winter Meetings are being held, but did not speak with the media.

The Rangers, according to beat writer T.R. Sullivan, have resigned to the possibility of C.J. Wilson parting ways, leaving the Angels and Marlins in what appears to be a two-horse race for the ace left-hander.

Stopped in the lobby at the Hilton Anatole on Wednesday afternoon, though, Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto wouldn’t comment on Wilson, saying only that the Halos continued working to also try and add a reliever.

“Bullpen,” he said. “Look for bullpen.”

Despite the Marlins’ signing of Mark Buehrle, they’re still believed to be in the market for Wilson. In fact, Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com tweeted on Wednesday that the Marlins are the “best bet” to land Wilson, with the Angels a “close second.” There are reports that the Marlins have offered him a six-year contract, which could be the difference if true.

With the Marlins committing four years and $58 million to Mark Buehrle — the other top free-agent starter — the Angels’ chances of obtaining C.J. Wilson have only improved.

Word is the Marlins still aren’t done — they could still pursue Wilson, and they may still even have a chance to reel in Albert Pujols. But with Buehrle on board, the sense of urgency to land Wilson is nowhere near as strong as before, and the available funds may not be as high.

In the end, it could come down to a two-horse race between the two American League West rivals, the Angels and Rangers. The Angels have prioritized starting pitching and are going hard after Wilson, amping up their efforts to obtain the Newport Beach, Calif., southpaw and hoping to get an agreement by Wednesday. They may be more willing to go five years with C.J., and that may be what it takes to land him.

Also on Wednesday, Aramis Ramirez’s agent, Paul Kinzer, said the Angels and Brewers met with his client at the end of the season and are finalists to land the free-agent third baseman — along with another unidentified team.

If the Angels are indeed stepping up their efforts to sign C.J. Wilson, their general manager, Jerry DiPoto, isn’t saying.

Meeting with the media in the early part of Wednesday afternoon – the last full day of the Winter Meetings – DiPoto wouldn’t comment on the progress with Wilson, but did say smaller, cheaper bullpen additions could be on the forefront.

“I can’t say that we’re certain we’re creeping up on anything,” DiPoto said. “We’ve certainly continued to make progress on the things that we’re pursuing. If anything, I feel like we’re getting closer to solving some of our desire to get deeper in the bullpen. If I had a sense as to what might happen quickly, that may be the thing. But no certainty.”

An industry source told MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro that the Halos are increasing their efforts to sign Wilson, with hopes of a deal getting done on Wednesday. But the situation remains fluid, and it could hinge on whether or not the Marlins are able to acquire ballyhooed slugger Albert Pujols.

Multiple reports said on Wednesday that the Marlins had offered six years to Wilson, probably as a backup plan if they’re not able to retain Pujols.

“We’re very comfortable with the conversations we’ve had with a variety of players and teams,” DiPoto said, “and we’ll see where it goes.”

Late Tuesday night, the Angels were deemed to be the third team – along with the Marlins and Cardinals – in the hunt for Pujols. For his part, DiPoto didn’t categorically deny the Angels’ interest in Pujols, but did restate: “That’s not where our focus has been.”

Angels general manager Jerry DiPoto was expected to meet with the media at 4:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, but five hours have passed and he still hasn’t come out of his suite. With speculation swirling, Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reported the following via Twitter …

“Angels pursuing [Albert] Pujols. Ongoing conversations.”

The Marlins were the team hot after Pujols all day — offering 10 years at what was believed to be more than $200 million — with the Cardinals reportedly upping their original offer in hopes of resigning the slugger. Then, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweeted that a third team had offered a 10-year contract, with the Cubs being rumored and, later, the possibility of the Angels being thrown out.

Initial calls to Pujols’ representatives were not returned, and an Angels spokesman told MLB.com there’s “nothing new to report.”

In an earlier tweet, Rosenthal also said the Angels are “already drawing trade interest in [Ervin] Santana in anticpation of [a] possible C.J. Wilson signing.”

“We need to get stronger pitching,” Scioscia said. “I think if you look at a lot of things ‑‑ you’re just talking about in the rotation, but we need depth in our bullpen, and we need depth in our rotation, and I think those are things that are priorities as Jerry [DiPoto] is moving through this process this winter. We had a lot of leads last year. Even though our offense wasn’t firing on all cylinders, we had countless games that maybe because of some depth in our bullpen that fell through the cracks that would have made a difference in our ability to contend particularly those last couple weeks in our division.”

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